Sermon Reflections from Unqualified to Uniquely Gifted | Alex Hardt | November 1, 2026
The story with Jesus and the man with the withered hand as recounted in Mark 3 leads me down a path of wonder and fulfillment. How so? When Jesus called you to follow Him, what need do you think he saw within you that needed to be healed? Each of us are sinners in need of repentance, but Jesus see into our hearts and satisfies our greatest needs and desires. The man with the withered hand wanted to be whole and have working hands. Jesus saw that need and restored him both physically and spiritually. In spite of the consequences, the Herodians then were seeking to kill him, he healed the man anyway. Jesus knew the law and saw the sin, disrespect and callousness of the Herodian’s souls.
Back to my question, what did Jesus see in you when he called you? Were you physically suffering, emotionally suffering, desperate, lonely, on the edge of despair or just lost? Whatever it is Jesus saw beyond what others saw in you and got to the heart of your needs. I am so encouraged by this. Jesus knows me and anticipates what I will need even before I do. He knew I needed salvation, yes, but I also needed a place and person to belong to, someone who cared about me deeply inside, someone who would not judge but guide and bring me home with Him.
What about you? At your time of conversion, what did you need? Our salvation is a wonder to each of us and is a gift from God. He calls to each of us and will bring us to himself if we listen and respond. His call is an unlikely event in our lives as we do not deserve his grace and forgiveness. We do nothing to earn it! It is freely given and provided by our Savior. I am reminded of the truth of Romans 5:8 “ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He knew me and my sin nature, but loved me still! God’s love is amazing and pulls me to Him each day.
Mark 3 also tells the story of how Jesus called his unusual group of disciples to walk with him daily and learn from Him about His kingdom. They were not the learned scribes or priests of the day, they were not the educated scholars but ordinary folk who loved God. They knew about the Messiah to come and responded to His call to follow Him. Just like them, Jesus called you for what you can become in Him, not for what you were at the moment of conversion. Jesus called Paul not for the pursuer and hater of Christians that he was but for the missionary Apostle he would become. He chose David the youngest shepherd in his family to be the King he would become. Do you trust God to transform you though the power of His Holy Spirit into something great for Him? He has a purpose and a place for each of his chosen ones. We need to lean into Jesus, walk in trust and look forward to God opportunities in our future!
Claim the truth of 1 Peter 2:9 in your life today! “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Walk in the light with Him each day and discover what He has for you!
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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